Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-28
THE QUEENS MAIDS.
Hard Work of the Young Ladies' Who Wait
on Epgland's Sovereign.
RastOn Post

Boston POST.
The maids of honor to the Queen earl
every penny of the $500 year which il
their stipend for filing q very Difficult
position. While on duty they can no
call their souls their own. After break
fast, which they take in their own roorgs
they have to hold themselves in instsl
readiness to obey the Queens summons
which comes the moment Sir Henry Pom
sonby quits her Msjesty's presence, Wit
the big red-morOCco dispatch box con
! tanning his days work under his arm.
After brief ''good morning" the Queer
suggests little reading, and the dutifu
maid addresses herself to the pile OF
papers wherein the proper passages fol
her Majesty's hearing have already been
marked by Sir Henry. Through columns
and columns of Parliamentary dSbatsi
leading article and correspondence Eas
the poor lady to intone her dismal way,
often having to repeat passages, for the
Queen never leaves 81 subject till she has
thoroughly mastered it, and is not at sIl
sparing in her commands 10 Gust read
that again, please" The maid of honor
is so busy mindiDg her stops aud trying
to modulate ner voice that she has little
chance of understanding 1.-THE of what
she is reading, and yet the moment the
reading is over she has to rush off and
get ready for drive with her royal mis-
tress, during which she will be expected
to make lucid remarks on the topics she
has Just read aloud.
After luncheon is the only real time the
maids of honor have to themselves, and
even that is spoilt for them by the uncer-
tsinty as TO whether they will be wanted
to walk or drive with the Qneen later in
the afternoon. They must stay in their
apartments, for il by chance they should
be sent for and were not to be found at
the moment, their life for q day or two
would not be happy one, so that stroll
in the grounds on their own account Is
out of the question, till after 4 o'clock,
when, if the Queen has departed on a
drive without them, they know they are
free till 6 at any rate. On the Queens
return there is more reading aloud, this
time of ponderous works on heavy phil
osoPhical subjects, or else the arranging
of sketches, photographs, or, it may be,
the charity needlework is brought out till
sue time as her Majesty goes to dress
for her o'clock dinner, where TO the re-
lief of the maid of honor. she is not
expected to be present. By this time she
is not unfrequentlyfaint for want of foed,
for when not at Court she wodld natu-
rally be finishing dinner at the hour when
it is the Queens pleasure TO commence it.
Young ladies do not, as q rule. Jump
at the post of maid of honor TO the Queen
till they have given themselves a fair
chance Of obtaining an establishment.
1t is not till season after season mas been
drawn blank that disCOnsolate ladies' have
recourse TO the dignity, very much minus
the leisure, of joining the "household."
1t follows that, though by no means IN
the sere and yellow leaf, the majority of
the maids of honor are not in the first
blush of budding cirlhood. The present
senior maid is tn Hon. Harriet Lepel
Phipps, cousin q he Marquis of Nor
mandy Miss Phipps will never see her
forty. fifth birthday again. The Hon.
Frances Drummond, daughter of Wis
count Strsthallau, is thirty nine. The
Hon. Ethel CadOgan was born in 1858,
which puts to her credit thirts'- three sum-
mers, and thu, Hon. Mand Okeover, q
niece Of Lady Waterpark, IS Only twenty
seven.